Saints John, Glacier Moutain, and the General Teller Mine

Distance: 7 miles round trip (including a diversion to the local high pt)
Elevation: 10,763 ft - 12,447 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,684 ft (net) 2,012 ft (cumulative including the bushwhack)

The view looking west from the unnamed 12,447 ft point. Buffalo Mountain is the large rounded mountain in the middle. My condo is on its slope.

I recently started out to hike Argentine Pass only to find out that Peru Creek Road was closed due to a rock slide. Since I was with a friend with a 4x4, we decided to drive up to the town of Saints John (see my winter outing) to see what it looked like in the summer. This turned out to be a superlative excursion above treeline on a lovely day without the threat of a single thunderstorm.

The northern extent of Glacier Mountain seen from Saints John

The trail we started out on

Crossing a small talus field. Cairns led the way.

We parked near the cabins in the town itself and then started walking. Since the creek was flooding the jeep road, we ended up walking up a trail on the left side of the valley, thinking perhaps this might be an official summer route. This trail soon fizzled out, however, but we kept playing in the woods in order to experiment with our GPS. Finally tired of bushwhacking, we cut straight across the creek, which was narrower here, and regained Saints John Road. From this point on, we followed the 4x4 road up to the ridge.

Rejoining the Jeep road

Looking down the valley. We normally snowshoe up the middle. That is Grays and Torreys in the distance.

It is amazing how different the place looked in the summer. In winter, we snowshoe straight up the valley but in summer, willows dominate the drainage and you have to stick to the road. I should warn purists, that this outing was not a pure wilderness experience. We did encounter numerous 4x4s, but since we were hiking faster than they could drive, it was quite easy to get us and the dogs out of the way.

The Wild Irishman Mine

Another view of the mine's iconic outhouse with the mountains in the background

This is the slope I have laboriously snowshoed up in the winter. Those boulders were covered with 20 feet of snow.

In winter, there is a small ridge to the right of the Wild Irishman Mine. This is the furthest up this trail I have ever gone. I had no idea that there was a road under all that snow that switch backed up the ridge. As we slowly ascended, we came to a vista point looking down upon the town of Saints John with Grays and Torreys in the distance. The perfectly symmetrical valley was a joy to photograph and I was feeling positively angelic for having gotten there with only quad power, particularly after several jeeps passed us with less than fit individuals at the wheel.

Beyond the Wild Irishman Mine, staring up at the switchbacks that will take us to the ridge

The valley vista. The symmetry was put there by a rational mind (geologic forces) just to please me.

Looking down on the aforementioned vista point from higher up the switchbacks

Beyond the vista point is a long series of steep, rutted switchbacks up to the top of the ridge. It was easy to stop and admire the expanding vistas to the west and marvel at the many Frosty Ball Thistles undoubted seeded there by some wayward alien species.

We've gained the ridge, the General Teller Mine is just ahead

The General Teller Mine

The road along the ridge, which is actually called Glacier Mountain, goes on seemingly forever, but we decided to make the General Teller Mine our terminus. This mine is a series of mostly collapsed buildings on the side of the ridge. Be sure to walk all the way to the bottom-most ruin for an expansive view of the Deer Creek Valley. I don't know what entranced me more, the secluded meadows below or the pastoral hills rolling off into the distance. Don't be fooled farms girls, this is not your mothers backyard. This bucolic scene contains Mountain Goats, which several 4x4ers reported seeing further up the road. Alas, we only saw tufts of fur on the road markers and in the duff.

At our lunch spot. Note the warren of 4x4 trails. This would be 4x4 paradise.

Looking down into Deer Creek Valley

On the way back down, we decided to take a 0.56 mile detour to a small promontory to an unnamed point at 12,447 ft that is the highest point between Saints John and mine. From here there are unobstructed views of Grays and Torreys, and Buffalo Mountain was clearly visible above the ridge to the west. Do take the time for this high-country diversion. You might just yodel!

Near the mine were two large cairns like gates on either side of the road. Note the plethora of Alpine Sunflowers.

Another view of the 4x4 trail with the mountains in the distance

It was on the road to this point that we ran into a nice retired couple from Maine who, with laptop shock mounted to their Jeep, 4x4 all over the country. They had remarked how Ginger, the hyper one, was speeding over the Tundra with seemingly in-canine ability. They were even more impressed to learn she had been doing this for the past 4 hours with the greatest of ease. They drove on even more impressed with native denizens of our fair state.

On the way to the unnamed high point. This road shoots off from the main one.

The view along the way to the high point. More misplaced symmetry :)

So, the next time you can't hike Argentine Pass, consider a journey to the General Teller Mine. The scenery is grand, and after encountering a few Jeeps carrying more than their fair share of human flesh, you'll be glad you risked cardiac arrest in order to live longer, pay more taxes, and provide such specimens with government funded diabetes medications.

Saints John and Wild Irishman Mine Snowshoe

Distance 5.6 miles RT
Elevation: 10,302 ft (Montezuma) to 10, 763 ft (Saints John) to 11, 702 ft (Wild Irishman Mine), to 12,000ft (Ridge above the mine)
Elevation Gain: 1698 ft
Critters: Oliver the cat


Saints John, out of Montezuma, is one of our favorite snowshoes. When the weather is clear, the views are spectacular and the elevation gain makes all those mid-week workouts worthwhile. This year was without a doubt our best experience. There was not a cloud in the sky, we barely saw two other people on the route, and the snow was Colorado powder perfect.

First, I’ll make a quick disclaimer about the distances and elevation gain described in this post. It seems like every book, blog, or reference quotes a different distance and elevation for this trail. To make matters worse there is a sign at the town of Saints John itself that says 11,000 ft, which probably refers to the mine itself higher up the ridge to the right.


The route to the Wild Irishman Mine begins on a forest road that is wide and covered in trees. It switch backs a couple of time before suddenly breaking out into the town of Saints John after only 1.3 miles. By the way, Saints John is not a typo. The town is named for both St. John the Evangelist and St. John the Baptist, which is most unfortunate because I have yet to meet anyone who can pronounce it very well. For history trivia buffs, you be pleased to note that Saints John was the site of the first silver strike in Colorado.

Beyond the town, the trail winds through the trees before reaching a wide valley. There are several avalanche chutes along the steep sides. A recent avalanche on our right had left car-sized chunks of snow sitting surreally next to pine trees. It is worth turning around periodically as one ascends this area for stellar views of Grays and Torreys. At the top, the route turns to the left and becomes significantly steeper. There is one pitch that is very steep. Snowmobiles are allowed on this trail and I have seen them zoom off this pitch, totally blind to anyone ascending from below. It is wise to use caution here and ascend as quickly as possible.

Another sharp turn to the left and a short jaunt through the trees lead to another open meadow. At the far end, flush against Glacier Mountain sits the ruins of the Wild Irishman Mine, complete with private outhouse.

To the right of the ruins is another sharp ridge that ascends another 300 ft or so (we did not have a GPS). The journey to the top of this ridge is well worth the trip. From its summit, a huge bowl opens up in the distance. At the far end is the most dramatic mountain pass I have ever seen. The expanse was only marred by a few snowmobile tracks. On this particular day the weather was practically short-sleeved warm and the 360-degree views of mountain peaks seemed to go on and on forever. These include 12,585 ft Bear Mountain to the northwest across the valley, 12,053 ft Tiptop Peak on the down valley view, followed by 12, 792 ft Cooper Mountain and 14ers Grays and Torreys. We did not want to descend, and it was only fear of the mind numbing skier traffic on I-70 that made us leave this little piece of Colorado heaven.

On the return trip we were met with Saints John most friendly resident, Oliver the cat. He came out to sit with us while we admired the view, and although he had to traverse a fifty-yard swath of snow to find us, he quickly jumped from pack to leg to pack again with casual feline dexterity. By this point we were not nearly as limber as we dragged ourselves to our feet again in order to slug through the last 1.3 miles back to the car.

You might just experience your own religious conversion on the Saints John trail but it won’t be to Christianity. Instead you may find yourself worshiping glorious sunshine, clear mountain air, breathtaking views, and the realization that such wonders of nature are everywhere you turn in this, our Colorado.